How to Make Android Applications

How
to Make Android Applications- Google rocks! Google acquired the Android
platform in 2005 (see the sidebar “The roots of Android,” later in this
chapter) to ensure that a mobile operating system (OS) can be created
and maintained in an open platform. Google continues to pump time and
resources into the Android project. Though devices have been available
only since October 2008, over a billion Android devices have now been
activated, and more than a million more are being added daily. In only a
few years, Android has already made a huge impact.

It
has never been easier for Android developers to make money by
developing apps. Android users trust Google, and because your app
resides in the Google Play Store, many users will be willing to trust
your app, too.

Why Develop for Android?

The
real question is, “Why not develop for Android?” If you want your app
to be available to millions of users worldwide or if you want to publish
apps as soon as you finish writing and

testing
them or if you like developing on an open platform, you have your
answer. But in case you’re still undecided, continue reading.

Market share

As
a developer, you have an opportunity to develop apps for a booming
market. The number of Android devices in use is greater than the number
of devices on all other mobile operating systems

combined.
The Google Play Store puts your app directly and easily into a user’s
hands. Users don’t have to search the Internet to find an app to install
— they can simply go to the preinstalled Google Play Store on their
devices and have access to all your apps. Because the Google Play Store
comes preinstalled on most Android devices (see Chapter 19 for some
exceptions), users typically search the Google Play Store for all their
application needs. It isn’t unusual to see an app’s number of downloads
soar in only a few days.

Time to market

Because
of all the application programming interfaces (APIs) packed into
Android, you can easily develop full featured applications in a
relatively short time frame. After you register as a

developer
at the Google Play Store, simply upload your apps and publish them.
Unlike other mobile marketplaces, the Google Play Store has no app
approval process. All you have to do is write apps and publish them.

Open platform

The
Android operating system is an open platform: Any hardware manufacturer
or provider canmake or sell Android devices. As you can imagine, the
openness of Android has allowed it to gain market share quickly. Feel
free to dig into the Android source code to see how it works, by
visiting https://source.android.com . By using open source code,
manufacturers can create custom user interfaces (UIs) and even add new
features to certain devices. Device compatibility

Android
can run on devices of many different screen sizes and resolutions,
including watches, phones, tablets, televisions, and more. Android comes
supplied with tools to help you develop applications that support
multiple types of devices. If your app requires a front facing camera,
for example, only devices with front facing cameras can “see” your app
in the Google Play Store an arrangement known as feature detection. (For
more information on publishing your apps to the Google Play Store, see
Chapter 8.)

The roots of Android

Though
most people aren’t aware of it, Google didn’t start the Android
project. The first version of the Android operating system was created
by Android, Inc., a small start up company in Silicon Valley that was
purchased by Google in August 2005. The founders (who worked for various
Internet technology companies, such as Danger, Wildfire Communications,
T Mobile, and WebTV) became part of the Google team that helped create
what is now the full fledged Android mobile operating system.